“You can’t put the genie back in the bottle”: psychologists’ decisions around sharing lived experience of mental health difficulties at work

Section A: Presents a critical review of the literature regarding psychological professionals’ experiences of workplace self-disclosure, and barriers and facilitators to this. Eight papers published in peer-reviewed journals were critically appraised and reviewed, and common themes identified and discussed; these included motivation for disclosure, stigma and judgement, features of the mental health problem, recipient factors, impact on career and competence, lived experience as an asset, allies, workplace culture, and individual differences. Limitations of the existing literature base, and directions for future research including widening diversity, are discussed.

Section B: Presents a grounded theory study to produce a model of the importance of the perception of “NHS culture” on clinical psychologists’ decision-making around workplace
self-disclosure of their lived experience of mental health difficulties. The model identifies three key psychological processes contributing to this decision: safety, motivation, and identity. Perceptions of “NHS culture” appeared to interact with these processes, particularly in the domains of “safety” and “motivation”. The influence of the “clinical psychologist identity” was also explored and discussed in the context of this decision. Practice implications may include challenging preconceptions of psychologists, integrating teaching around lived experience into clinical training courses, and addressing problem areas of organisational culture within the NHS.